Dr Jessica Briffa is an early career research fellow in the Department of Anatomy and Physiology at the University of Melbourne. Her research is interested in understanding the role the placenta plays in the development of pregnancy complications: by seeking to identify novel genetic regulators of implantation and placentation, and in developing novel interventions to prevent/treat complications arising. Dr Briffa received her PhD in Physiology from the University of Melbourne in 2015. As a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Prof Mary Wlodek her research explored the role of the placenta in developmental programming. More recently, she has been exploring novels genes that regulate cardiac function in the laboratory of A/Prof Kelly Smith. Dr Briffa was recently awarded an NHMRC Idea’s Grant to explore ECM modulation in pregnancy success and has previously been awarded fellowships from the University of Melbourne.